Hurdles for New St. Petersburg Condo Tower Exemplify Challenges Facing Some New Developments

New condominium developments often face significant challenges from municipalities and neighboring property owners. As the wave of condo development in Florida appears to have no end in sight, developers should be cognizant of potential complaints that may be raised against their proposed towers, and they should be prepared to negotiate to win all of the necessary approvals and overcome the challenges that are presented.

The struggles facing the new Bliss 18-story luxury condo tower planned for downtown St. Petersburg are emblematic of the types of hurdles that some new projects must overcome. An article earlier this week in the Tampa Bay Times chronicles the difficult road that the development has been forced to navigate. The challenges include allegations by a nearby property owner that the project violates the city’s comprehensive land-use plan as well as a lawsuit by the association of a neighboring condominium claiming that cars waiting to use the project’s planned elevator to transport vehicles to their parking spaces would clog the access alley also used by the condominium and create a safety hazard.